Concealed Carry on Campus: MI

This is a discussion on Concealed Carry on Campus: MI within the The Second Amendment & Gun Legislation Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Mich. colleges rethink campus safety; bill would OK concealed weapons - Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports...

Michigan's public universities are beefing up their campus police forces, installing high-resolution surveillance cameras and taking other steps to prevent campus crime.

After the massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois in 2007 and 2008, colleges refocused their safety approaches with mass alert systems and emergency preparedness plans.

But the Detroit Free Press reports that campuses have also been retooling how they keep students safe from day-to-day crime.

Many colleges now have mounted surveillance cameras that can pan an entire campus while also zooming onto a single license plate.

As students return for fall classes and freshmen adjust to life away from home, college police say that staying safe often requires little more than using some common sense.

Bill would OK concealed weapons at Mich. campuses

A state lawmaker wants to let Michigan residents who have permits to carry concealed weapons take them on university campuses.

Legislation announced Thursday by Republican state Sen. Randy Richardville of Monroe would remove college campuses from the list of places where Michigan law does not allow permit holders to carry guns.

Richardville says crimes occur on college campuses just like in other places. He argues people with the proper training and background checks to get a permit should be allowed to carry guns for their protection while on campus.

The bill will face opposition from groups including the President's Council. The organization representing the presidents of Michigan's public universities says the measure won't make campuses safer.

Disclaimer: The posts made by this member are only the members opinion, not a reflection on anyone else, nor the group, and should not be cause for anyone to get their undergarments wedged in an uncomfortable position.

I taught for many years at a Michigan law school, I won't publicly state which, still have an office there and still visit quite often.

About a year ago, when I walked in the front entrance I noticed a new desk had been put up behind which were two "security guards." I was curious so asked them if they were armed, to which they repled that they were not.

I should also add that School policy prohibits faculty or students to have guns on campus, even those with concealed carry permits.

Later, I called the Dean and asked about the new guards, told him that I understood that they were not armed and what purpose did he think they were serving.

Not surprising, he really had no answer that made any sense to me. Basically, if they were still alive, they could, I guess, call 911.

However, it seems this bill simply makes it so it's not a crime to CCW on campus, it doesn't prohibit the individual school from creating it's own policy. Most states don't prohibit CCW on campus, but with few exceptions, almost all schools' policy is no CCW.
Utah is the exception, where it MUST be allowed.

"The right of the whole people, old and young, men, women and boys, and not militia only, to keep and bear arms of every description, not such merely as are used by the militia, shall not be infringed, curtailed, or broken in upon, in the smallest degree..."
Nunn v. State GA 1848

true, but the powers that be can create policies that affect students and employees. Joe blow off the street would be unaffected by such policies.

Can anybody confirm this?

A local private college of mine has a no-weapons policy for its students (I believe/assume employees too). I am neither a student nor an employee of this college. They do not have any no-firearms/weapons signs posted. I asked the security office about CC'ing on their campus (of course not in dorms/classrooms, or for that matter not in any of the buildings) and they didn't really have a straight answer. The best they could give me was "It's against our student policy" and that if I was ever caught CC'ing on campus it would guarantee I'd never be accepted as a student there (no worry there) but they weren't really sure on it further.

I suppose I could try and get more info on this, but haven't gotten to that mess yet.

A local private college of mine has a no-weapons policy for its students (I believe/assume employees too). I am neither a student nor an employee of this college. They do not have any no-firearms/weapons signs posted. I asked the security office about CC'ing on their campus (of course not in dorms/classrooms, or for that matter not in any of the buildings) and they didn't really have a straight answer. The best they could give me was "It's against our student policy" and that if I was ever caught CC'ing on campus it would guarantee I'd never be accepted as a student there (no worry there) but they weren't really sure on it further.

I suppose I could try and get more info on this, but haven't gotten to that mess yet.

I work at a University and can assure you that they can and would fire me if I so much as had a firearm in my vehicle in the parking structure. A student would likewise be expelled. However, MI law says only that it is illegal to carry in a classroom or dormitory, neither of which I ever enter. The common and admin buildings, the courtyards and rest of the campus..well, they have other policies that make it clear that this is public land and they cannot exclude joe public from common areas. (Specifically came up because people wanted homeless people banned from the libraries, turns out that they cannot ban them. they do however, shoo them if they are sleeping or doing anything other than using library resources, so they do mostly stay away because they mostly come in to sleep). They cannot charge a student or employee with a crime for carrying (except classrooms or dormitories), only expell or fire them. They have no means to expel or fire joe public, as joe public 1. has not signed an agreement to workplace/school policies and 2. has no job or education to lose, and is not committing a crime.

Here is the policy for the college I go to. So it is legal for me to have my firearm on me in the parking lot because parking lots legally are not premises in Michigan but the college set its own rules regarding that and other areas.

WEAPONS POLICY
It is the policy of Muskegon Community College that no person employed by the College or any student or visitor to College buildings, facilities, vehicles, grounds and other College property shall possess a weapon and/or dangerous weapon in a College building, on College grounds, during a College-sponsored activity, or during such times as students are under the supervision of College authorities. “Weapons and/or dangerous weapons” is defined to include firearms and weapons as defined in USC Title 20 as 8921 and USC title 18 as 921 and MCL as 380.1313(4).